The fried snacks, also known as namkeen in Hindi, are best enjoyed during the cold winter season. It is that time of the year when one might get hungry too soon or crave snacks that have a crunch factor. And sem ke bheej or the seeds of the Indian flatbean variety, are best savoured with tea in the morning, as a teatime snack or simply any snack time before meals.
We might be aware of namkeens like dal moth, chatpata chana, karare moong phali, aloo bhujia, and more, but have you tried sem ke bheej? It is an age-old snack that is made from Indian flat bean seeds, mostly the sword bean or the hyacinth bean varieties, through a laborious process that is now almost a forgotten snack except in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
While hyacinth beans and seeds are widely consumed across the states of India in different ways by adding them to subzis, pulao, etc., most of them might be unaware of this traditional namkeen called sem ke bheej, which is a popular and unique snack from Uttar Pradesh.
What Makes Sem Ke Bheej Special In Farrukhabad?
In Farrukhabad, especially, many namkeen stores are known for making large quantities of sem ke bheej namkeen and selling it in various cities across the country, like Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, and so on. "Sem ke bheej and dal moth are our top-selling namkeen and we have been running this store for over 50 years. We source the flatbeans from local farmers and the spices for the masala come from Kanpur, which makes it the best snack on offer," says Sagar Bharadwaj, who runs the Surya Namkeen store in Farrukhabad.
What makes the sem ke bheej namkeen so unique and special is the laborious process that is followed to make this healthy and crunchy snack. The bean seeds are separated from the pods and dehusked manually before being dried completely. The sun-dried seeds are then deep-fried in desi ghee until they turn green and become crunchy in texture.
The fried bean seeds are then mixed or seasoned with masalas like hing-jeera, chaat masala, salt-pepper, and so on. Various kinds of masala mix or spice mix are made in-house by the namkeen vendors across Uttar Pradesh and sold not just across the country but online and internationally as well. Apart from Farrukhabad, Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, and Lucknow are some of the cities where you can buy sem ke bheej from namkeen bhandars, or sweet shops, in the state.
Sem ke bheej namkeen is a seasonally available snack, where the best batches are available during the winter season. Although it is available in Delhi and a few other cities, its origin and popularity lie in the state of Uttar Pradesh and may not be available anywhere else in the country.
The closest to this snack would be the avarekai mixture sold in Karnataka that incorporates hyacinth beans but they are bigger in size and not all green in colour when fried. They are crispy but hard on the bite, whereas sem ke bheej has the light crunch that makes it so tasty. Also, the avrekai mixture may not be fried in desi ghee or have a touch of that in-house masala, which makes this snack so special and enjoyable.
Farrukhabadi Namkeen In Kanpur
A small namkeen store without a name near Nayaganj in Kanpur is run by a family with roots in Farrukhabad. While everyone from the city buys namkeen from this vendor for all occasions and to send some to their families outside UP, he is popularly called Farrukhabadi and has been running the store for over 45 years now.
He says, "Our family moved to Kanpur many generations ago and I follow the same recipe for each namkeen that has been passed on for many generations, including the sem ke bheej. The quality of the bean seeds is very important when preparing this snack. they have to be tender and they must be carefully fried in desi ghee. Although, when I first started selling, we sold it for ₹20 per kg, today sem ke bheej namkeen costs over ₹1000 per kg."
"I have been visiting this shop here in Kanpur for the last 30 years and the prices of sem ke bheej have increased exponentially over time. The quality of his namkeen and sem ke bheej is out of this world. It is fried in pure desi ghee and the chatpata masala mixed into it makes for a great teatime snack. We fondly refer to the store and its owner as Farrukhabadi and he has been selling sem ke bheej namkeen here in Kahu Kothi for over 45 years," says Anirudh Poddar, whose family has been regulars at this namkeen store in Kahu Kothi, Kanpur. The shop has no name but it is popular as Farrukhabadi Namkeen in the city.
Sem ke bheej is also used to prepare various other dishes, like subzis, that pair with rotis and other flatbreads or rice. In Gujarat, these flat beans are referred to as papdi or valour papdi, which is one of the main ingredients for the popular Umdhiyu dish that is a winter favourite too.
Down south, in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and other states, hyacinth beans are used to prepare curries, pulao, usal, and more. While they are available in mishtan and namkeen bhandars or stores across UP and Delhi, sem ke bheej can be purchased at online stores like Flipkart, Amazon, Indiamart, and more, which feature some of the popular namkeen brands.